Aftermath
by Agent66
Summary: During the 7 year period between Cell and Buu, Goku's friends go through changes of their own UPDATED!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! It's WMG here, other wise known as WebMistressGina. I'm taking my first steps into the DBZ world, after much praise and success in Reboot and Get Smart. This is my little author note before the story to let ya know what's going on, about the ideas running in my head. So far, I got three ideas, this is the first one I'm gonna write down.**

**This story, which I'll call Aftermath for the time being, deals with the unseen, never talked about, but much written seven year time span from the end of Cell. I've read a lot of fics about it and what happened between Krillin & 18, Bulma and Vegeta, and so on, so this is my contribution. I've wondered what happened after Goku was gone and the changes he encounters when he returns to the Tournament. How exactly did Krillin & 18 get together? How did Bulma and Vegeta find their way to love? How did Yamcha feel about it? This story was going to focus on K & 18, but I decided I had burning questions about a lot of stuff. Lol So, enough of my ramblings! Hope you all enjoy and please let me know what you think. This is again, my first attempt at a DBZ fan fiction, so from you great writers out there, I'll need your guidance. **

**   
Just like RB and GS, I do not own DragonBall, DragonBallZ, or DragonBallGT. And I am not making any money by writing or else I'd be paying off those nasty college loans.**

**Aftermath**

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It was oddly quiet, something was a rare occurrence indeed at the Capsule Corporation. It had only been a few hours since the great warrior Goku had decided not to be wished back by the dragonballs. While his reasons made sense, it still didn't ease the minds of his friends and family. He had died before, that wasn't the issue. It was the first time he didn't want to come back, which had stunned them all and would create problems to come.

For one of Goku's friends, his best to be exact, the former monk found himself entering a state he shouldn't be feeling, but felt never less. Guilt. Watching his friends die on the battlefield reminded him terribly of his time on Namek and all the things he had witnessed at the hands of Freiza. He still hadn't shaken his thoughts from that, even though it had been years since he had been there. But this time, he couldn't shake the images from his mind. Yamcha, Choatzu, Tien, Piccolo…Goku. 

But it wasn't the fight that caused the guilt. Oh, he had always felt his didn't measure up to his friends, both in height and might, but it was what he _hadn't_ done that caused this feeling. _If only I had destroyed that controller! _ Was the only thought that circled through his mind. Mixed in with those visions of death, he had one of the beautiful blonde killer that had been sent to earth to do just that. To kill them. His task, his one and only task, was to find the girl and destroy her with the remote made by Bulma Briefs. That was all he had to do to keep the evil Cell from reaching his perfect form.

But he hadn't done that. He had failed.

He had found his target and immediately images from their first meeting and the kiss she had given him assaulted him all at once, causing him to drop the remote. And then, while the beautiful, yet dangerous, Android number 18 and her companion, Android 16, stood and watched, the small fighter crushed the remote. _If only I had destroyed that controller! _ After everything, after rescuing her twice, he again saved her by wishing for her and her brother to become human once again. It backfired, but at least the last control by Gero, the bombs inside their chest, could be wished away and was.

And then, the very thing he wanted, needed to keep secret from his friends, was blurted out by the world's savior.

If the former monk could kill anyone, it would've been the eleven year old.

And speaking of the world's savior, he wasn't fairing any better. Like his friend the monk, the son of the world's greatest fighter was having his own battles with guilt, wishing he hadn't been so cocky. Cocky enough to make his father step in and take out Cell. But like everything else that had happened to the boy, this wouldn't be a fair fight. Of course Cell toyed with them. Why else would he cause Goku to sacrifice his own life and then show his face back at the arena that held the "cell games"?

His father had told him repeatedly to end it, destroy Cell, but did he? No. The boy could play cat and mouse as well, and that's what he did, ending in the monster's defeat. But at what cost? The boy had lost his father. His mother had lost her husband. Friends had lost a friend, more than a friend. Goku was family.

At the thought of family, the boy turned and saw another of his father's friends. A former desert bandit and he did not look happy. He just kept looking at the small bundle of joy that rested in his former girlfriend's arms. That alone made his blood rise. He would never, could never get over the fact that the baby his former flame held was not his, but was the son of one of their enemies, someone who not long ago had tried to kill them all. Looking around, he wasn't surprised when he didn't see the boy's father.

He just couldn't understand how this could've happened. His former girlfriend had been so distraught when he had died the last time. They had patched things up or so he thought. Apparently things were different when he was wished back. He should've seen the resemblance to Bulma when the future Trunks had come to warn them about the androids. In fact, he _had _seen the resemblance, but he shook off, trying in vain to see if he could see himself in the young boy's face.

Only to find someone _else's _face reflecting back.

The small group, who had formed a small family, felt the loss of their friend. Things wouldn't be the same here on out.

Especially when his widow announced she was pregnant.

**So what do you think? Let me know with that little button below!**


	2. Chapter 2

**_ Well, for some reason, ff.net doesn't like any other font other than times roman, so will do things like this. If the first chapter is kinda looking dumb, blame ff.net. Anywa, welcome to the second chapter! Enjoy!_**

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**Aftermath**

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The small island in the ocean always seemed peaceful, when there wasn't a world threat going on, of course. But the threat that had plagued the Earth a month ago was gone and things seemed to go back to normal, well as normal as things could be. The World Tournament champion had claimed the spotlight at destroying Cell and basked in the attention he got from being the Earth's savior. Only a few knew of course, who the real savior was, but they never let on. Or at least, they had learned to accept it after hearing it repeatedly on television.

It was on this small island where the Kame House and its residents spent their days since Cell. It was a cozy house and it had seen its share of happiness and tragedy. Though today was like any other, there was still tragedy that held a fog over the house. The house's owner stood looking out the window, completely ignoring his daily exercise program that played in the background, as well as ignoring the happy cries coming from the lone occupant on the couch.

Master Roshi sighed and continued to look out the window. He had been worried about the fall out that would happen after Cell and Goku's decision to stay in Other World, but he couldn't have foreseen this. It had been a month now and still his second tenant was secluded in his second story bedroom. Roshi had gotten used to Krillin's down days, times when the former monk found himself in a depressing rut, but it had never gotten to this point. Aside from showering in his master bathroom, Krillin never left. If he ate, it was after the rest of the house went to bed.

That alone had brought Master Roshi to ignore his favorite TV show and stare out the window. He was growing increasingly worried about his former student. He knew this new threat had brought about new nightmares that haunted the warrior; Krillin had never been the same after Namek, but then again neither had Gohan. But it was Krillin who was Roshi's mind now, as he looked at the wall clock. He had called the one person he knew would at least get Krillin to open the door.

Say what you will about her, but Bulma Briefs was a formidable woman and a force to be reckoned with.

The sound of an approaching helicopter put a shadow of a smile on the old man's face. "Here comes trouble." Muttered the pig who sat on the couch. Roshi shook his head at him.

"She's here for a reason, Oolong." The Turtle Hermit replied. Looking towards the stairs, he said, "I'm hoping she'll get Krillin out of that room."

Within moments, the young genius walked into the house, her aquamarine hair in a ponytail. "Thanks for coming, Bulma." Roshi said. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"No problem." Bulma whispered. "And believe me, I'm happy you interrupted."

Roshi took the tone and response as having taken Bulma away from a boring meeting, when in reality, Bulma had been in the midst of an argument with the father of her child. Since Goku's death, Vegeta had been training relentlessly in the Gravity Room, never taking time to see her or their son. To Bulma, there had been a time when Vegeta had been attentive towards her and Trunks and it just seemed to be slipping away.

So when she got a call from Master Roshi, saying he needed help, she turned her anger and hurt from Vegeta to the task of trying to get Krillin to leave his room. All in all, it seemed like a battle she could win or rather _would_ win. Squaring her shoulders, she headed upstairs, with Roshi and Oolong in tow.

***

Even with the sun up, the bedroom was still incredibly dark. Krillin never did like having curtains in his room, he enjoyed waking up with the sun and watching the sun rise from his window. But ever since Goku's death, he didn't want to look at the sun. It reminded him too much of the happiness that he had shared with his friend and only made him slip further into his depression as he thought about how he was responsible for his death.

And if that wasn't enough, he couldn't get _her _out of his mind. That only increased his feelings of woe. It hadn't taken long for the former monk to discover this wasn't just a crush on his part. He wasn't crushing on the beautiful android. He had fallen in love with her. How, he wasn't sure, he just knew that after she had kissed him on that highway, he couldn't stop thinking about her. And after watching her fly off the tower to who knew where, he was _still_ thinking about her. How was she? Does she have a place to live? How is she coping? Did she find her brother?

Shaking his head, he rolled over on to his back and stared at the ceiling. He was vaguely aware that a long time had past, how much he didn't know. He knew it wasn't a year, that was for sure. Or was it? He rubbed his face, his hand running over the beard he had built up. Time, once again, for the shaving ritual. Krillin sighed. He hadn't been very good recently at shaving his face or his head, the task being so daunting he didn't want to make the effort.

A sudden knocking, or rather, a sudden pounding on his bedroom door startled the former monk out of his stupor. "Krillin, open the door!" came the demand. Sighing and forming a grimace on his face, Krillin sat up in bed. Of all the people he just didn't want to see, it was Bulma. Even he had a small grudge against her for having a child with Vegeta. _He _was loyal to Yamcha.

"Go away, Bulma."

"Krillin, you open this door or so help me…"

That statement caused Krillin's eyebrow to go up. "Or you'll do what?" he retorted. He could almost see her face turn red with anger and began thinking maybe he should just open the door.

"I'll get Roshi to Kamehame this door!"

_She's serious!_

Wasting no time, Krillin got out of bed and went to the door. He then unlocked and opened it. "Bout time." Came her response, as the small man moved in order to let her in. Bulma turned back and looked at her friend. "Kami Krillin, you look like hell." And to her, he truly did. He looked haggard and tired, not the bright man she knew he was. Even more surprising, other than his beard, was the shaggy mane he now sported on top his head.

"Good to see you too, Bulma." He replied, sarcastically.

"Let me handle this." The young woman replied, winking at the hermit and the pig, before closing the door. Turning back to Krillin, she regarded him again. "Krillin," she spoke finally. "Don't be mad at Roshi. He's only worried about you. As am I."

"I know, I know." He sighed, sitting himself down at on the end of the bed. "I'm just in a funk, that's all."

Bulma laughed. "Some funk." She chuckled. "Do all your 'funks' last for an entire month?" Seeing the look he gave her, Bulma cleared her throat and continued. "Look, I know Goku's leaving hit you hard. It hit me hard, too, but do you really think Goku's up there in Other World being happy when he knows his best friend isn't?"

"Then he should've stayed."

Bulma sighed. Things weren't going well, by her standards, but at least she was making better headway here than with Vegeta. "At least come out of your room from time to time." She requested. "I've never known you to close yourself in, Krillin. I can't help but be worried." Krillin sighed, nodding. "Come see me time, okay?" she asked. "This isn't easy on me either."

"Or Yamcha." He muttered.

The young woman sighed. She had hit another area. "Leave Yamcha to me, okay?" she whispered. "Just…just don't take sides with me, okay? I don't want to lose another friend."

It suddenly hit Krillin like a ton of bricks. He suddenly had a common ally with the young genius. She had lost Goku, like they all had, but she felt she had lost Yamcha too with the news of Trunks. And knowing the friendship between the former monk and desert bandit, she thought she would easily lose Krillin as well.

Putting a hand on her shoulder, Krillin smiled, the first real smile he had done during all of this. "Don't worry, Bulma." He said. "The last thing I want or need is to lose another friend."

Bulma smiled as well before standing up. "Well, I see my work here is done." She said, triumphantly. "Now, here's the prescription. You are to open those blinds and let the sun in. Then you're gonna take a shower and clean up a bit." She stood back and looked him for a third time. "You know, I've never seen you with hair before." She replied. "Not even a little stubble. It looks good on you, Kril. Just don't let it get out of hand. I don't want to come back and find a mountain man living in your room."

With that, she left.

"So?" asked Oolong. "How'd it go?"

"Well, you'll be happy to know Krillin will emerge at some point." She said. "He's just taking things hard, that's all."

"Well thanks, Bulma." Roshi replied, walking her to the door. "Sorry to take you from that son of yours."

"No worries." She said, sighing. "Like I said, I didn't mind getting away."

Roshi patted her on the back and watched her go. Internally, he wondered what demons the young woman was fighting.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey and what up? Glad you guys are liking this, as I can tell by my threatening reviewers. *wink* Chill out, y'all. Fighting a cold, is all, hence why I got started on this. Any anywa...I finally got things started with the text and things so it doesn't look so funkadelic on ff.net. And with that said, on to the fic....  
  
  
  
Aftermath  
  
  
  
A sigh escaped the lips of the young boy who sat at a desk in front of a window. He had been staring at the same math problem for nearly an hour, he guessed, and still the answer wasn't coming forth. This wasn't a hard problem, by his standards, it should've been relatively easy. But like previous days when he had sat in his room and just did homework, his mind and heart weren't in it. Every time he stared down at his work, he could still see a battlefield.  
  
A battlefield in which his father had sacrificed his life.  
  
A field where he failed.  
  
Rubbing his eyes, Gohan once again sighed. He had been struggling with the whole ordeal after they had left Capsule Corp. that day. It wasn't sure what had triggered it: his father's death, his mother's pregnancy, the boy's own guilt...but more and more often it was culminating in to a very large distraction to every thing he did. And on top of that, he could still see the looks from his friends when he said he wouldn't be fighting anymore. Everyone had been shocked, but the majority understood. Piccolo had only nodded, keeping his true feelings to himself, but Gohan could see some slight disappointment on his green face.   
  
Krillin was really the only person who truly understood, as he himself mentioned he was done with fighting as well. Gohan had even overheard him telling Yamcha he was thinking about going back to his temple. If he thought his mother was happy about the decision, he couldn't say. She didn't throw her arms around him, thankful he'd given up his life of martial arts, instead she had only nodded, saying "If that's what you want, sweetheart." It was like she was a mile away.  
  
Vegeta, on the other hand, had plenty to say. He called Gohan a failure as a warrior, a "true testament of Kakkarot's genes" and figured it just ran in the family. That had caused Chi-Chi to break down and cry, causing Yamcha and Krillin to just at the Saiyan prince, only to be stopped by Bulma. It tension could be cut, it wouldn't have made a mark after that little incident. Vegeta huffed off to train, while Bulma tried to console Chi-Chi, then she left, seeming to be in tears herself. Yamcha and Krillin soon replaced her as Chi-Chi's support and the two had gone with the family back home, to make sure they were okay.  
  
Though he was only eleven, Gohan knew trouble when he saw it and there was definite trouble brewing right in front of him. He was watching his friends ~ and they were his friends, despite the obvious age differences~ coming apart. The buried feelings of hurt and distrust that had been slowing coming to the surface ever since Future Trunks arrival was now bubbling to the core and at some point would just explode. Gohan was sure he idn't want to be around when it happened, but something told him he wouldn't be able to avoid it.  
  
Shaking himself from his thoughts, he once again looked down at the math book that stared at him, closing it with gusto, and leaned back in his chair.  
  
He remembered when his mother had to nearly force him to study, not wanting her little boy to be exposed to the dangerous world her husband enjoyed going out into. A lot of good it did. Gohan had been fighting since he was five, thanks to his Saiyan uncle and he hadn't stopped. Six years. Six years of constant trouble from folks who wanted world domination. Six years fo seeing his father and then losing him to some evil. Six years of being an adult and for what? He was now eleven and he had no clue as to what normal eleven year olds did. Hell, he didn't even know any eleven year olds, much less normal ones. He had been friends with his father's friends for six years now and they were adults.  
  
Oh sure, they wanted what was best for him, tried making things fun, so he'd enjoy himself, but other than Trunks, he was the only kid in the group and by the time Trunks got to his age, Gohan would be an adult. Thinking about Trunks always brought up another problem. His soon to be sibling. No denying, Gohan was extremely happy. He hated being an only child and he had a feeling as he got older, he would stay that way. But when his mother announced, through a mess of painful tears, she was pregnant, Gohan was overjoyed.  
  
Until he realized his father wasn't there and worse, Goku probably didn't even know the child existed.  
  
Just more reason for Gohan to stop fighting.  
  
If only I had destroyed Cell when I could've. Piccolo told me to do it, Dad told me to do it, but I didin't. I just kept toying with him, just like Cell wanted.  
  
Gohan shook his head. He couldn't let things like that put him down, at least not in the middle of the day. His mother needed him, as did his little brother or sister. To Chi-Chi, she couldn't ask for better help. Gohan had put his own saddness, wants, and needs to the wayside in order to make sure his mother was all right. On one hand, it was touching to see her little boy so grown up and responsible. On the other hand, it made her feel even more hurt. He was eleven and he had already lost his father twice, battled tons of monsters bent on destroying his father or the earth, and had to grow up before he needed to. Chi-Chi tried, oh how she tried, to figure out how Gohan was doing. He'd say he was fine, but she knew.  
  
A mother knows.  
  
Her little baby was beside himself with grief. She had heard his cries at night and tried to console him, when she wasn't in tears herself. Damn him, she'd curse. She had always worried that marrying Goku had not been in their best interests and times like these, when he'd chose fighting over family, she was convinced. But the thoughts never stayed long. No matter what, she loved him. Always had, always would. He had made it clear that night before the Cell Games that he loved her more than life itself and would do anything to ensure her and their son's safety. She had thought he was being melancholy, wanting to believe everything was a horrible nightmare.  
  
She had come to realize, however, her Goku knew the outcome before it even happened. She hadn't given much thought to why he was being so attentive that night, why every caress, every kiss felt like it was their last. Because it was and Goku knew it. Chi-Chi had seen the look in his eyes as he was about to leave, heard his thoughts of her through the bond they had rekindled the night before. That damn Saiyan bond, the second thing that kept her in mourning. The first time he had died, it was like a pain in her heart, a deep tingling that wouldn't go away. Even though she knew they would wish him back within the year, it still hurt, not having that calm peace that came with knowing he was there, alive.  
  
This time, this time though, it felt like nails going through her repeatedly. That mixed with morning sickness made her, Chi-Chi ~ daughter of the Ox King, a former martial artist~ quiver and shake and on the verge of insanity. Her mind just kept replaying moments with Goku again and again, with no sound like an eerie silent movie. It truly drove her to the brink. She didn't know what she would do without Gohan. And in the coming months, she would learn to rely on Goku's friends, two in particular, who felt they owed their friend to watch over his family.  
  
  
***  
  
A large ki blast rocked the Gravity Room for about a second before another blast caused a small indentation in the wall. The Prince of Saiyans was not happy and when he wasn't happy, normally people died. But as long as he was inside the GR, he would take his frustrations out on anything around him. He didn't care. Damn that Kakkarot! How dare he die...no, sacrifice himself in order to beat that slimy Cell? Worse, it took his weak offspring to destroy it!  
  
Another blast obliterated a fight simulated robot.  
  
He was the prince of all Saiyans and yet he had been constantly outshined but Kakkarot, a third class warrior who shouldn't have even lived if any of his people were still alive. It was ridiculous! Here he was, Vegeta, training his heart and soul out, to be better, to be stronger...and it would all amount to nothing as Kakkarot and his son would step out and ruin his reins. It was mind boggling. And then to find out that Kakkarot had reached the level of super saiyan while fighting Frieza...Frieza! His revenge! His target! Vegeta had vowed to destroy the beast who had wiped out his people and their home. Frieza was his right, his fight! And all of that taken away from him!  
  
Vegeta landed hard on the floor, his breathing harsh and uneven. Stumbling over to the computer console, he switched the gravity to normal, the weight and pressure easing off his body. Leaning against the console, he wiped off the sweat from his forehead. His breathing returning to normal, Vegeta looked around at the damage he had caused. There was little this time, just some small holes and dents here and there, but over all it was fine. He'd have to get the woman to come check it out some time that week.  
  
At the thought of the woman, a sneer formed on the Saiyan's face. That was another of his problems. Her. If it was bad enough to be living in her home, a few clandestine romps had lead to their son and to her feeling differently about their relationship. The sneer got larger. Now she was convinced she loved him. Of all the ridiculous, stupid emotions to have, it was love. And for some reason, she felt that he owed her. That he owed her! That because that brat shared some of his genes, he needed to be responsible for it. That was what a woman was for. He was a warrior and warriors did not watch over brats and that was that.  
  
He had seen a lot of death, being a soldier in Freiza's army, but that moment was frozen in his mind. It moved in slow motion. The sudden blast. The way it sounded as it hit something solid. The look on his son's face as he fell to the ground.  
  
Dead.  
  
"Damn it."   
  
He would never get that image out of his brain. That sound...that look on Trunks' face as the blast ripped through his mid-section. It reminded Vegeta of watching his home planet being destroyed. They could do nothing as Freiza came in and blasted it into bits. He shook his head, fighting against the painful memories. He was a warrior, with a warrior's heart. He wasn't about to let emotions run it, like it had with Kakkarot or his son. He was a Saiyan, he had pride. He would not...  
  
"Vegeta, are you in there?"  
  
"Damn."  
  
The woman.  
  
"Vegeta, I know you can hear me in there."  
  
What did she want?  
  
"Hello! Why don't you answer me?"  
  
"Why don't you go to hell?" came his retort.  
  
"Ugh! You're an ass! I could be working on something of actual importance, if your SON didn't want to see you so bad! Do you remember that, Vegeta!? You have a son!"  
  
The door opened abruptly, startling Bulma and the infant she held in her arms. She had somewhat truthful. She could be doing important work, but she...dare she say it?...missed Vegeta. She was playing with Trunks, missing his older counterpart, when he did something so Vegeta-like. He was frustrated that his little toy wouldn't do what he wanted and the look was priceless...  
  
And her undoing.  
  
She had to go see Vegeta.  
  
Which brings us to where she was now. She had seen that look before, the pure evil in Vegeta's eyes. The look told her she would get it and not in a good way. "I would like to try and forget it." he chuckled. "Unfortunately, no one around here will let me. Now before I tear your spine out through your stomach, I suggest you and your brat leave me be."  
  
If that little speech was supposed to scare off Bulma Briefs...it didn't.  
  
"Now, you listen me, Prince Pain in My Ass," she replied, her voice dangerously low. "I'm being extremely nice in letting you use my gravity room, all the while eating my food, and sleeping in my house. Now unless you want me to rip your royal jewels out through your big mouth, I suggest you take your son, while I get some work done." Handing the baby over to his father, Bulma gave a sneer of her own.  
  
"If you need something, Prince Vegeta, please hesitate to ask."  
  
With that, she walked away, leaving a stunned Vegeta and a squirming Trunks in her wake.  
  
"That woman will be the death of me."  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Okay, I really have had it with ff.net not keeping the html I put in here. Is it really so hard to keep things bold and italized? The italics do make a point. Anywho...I'm glad everybody likes my story. It was just something that was in my head and finally needed to be placed on paper. The bit about the bonding hopefully went well. Does anyone know if it was ever mentioned or discussed on the show? Or is it a fan lore? If anyone knows, give me a shout and holler! I'd like to thank my reviewers for reading and reviewing. A thank you. Yonk, if I don't meet your appetite for Goten and Trunks in this story, you can be sure I'll be thinking of ya when I begin "Aftermath II" which will start after the fall of Majin Buu!  
  
All right, G! Enough talk, on with fic!  
  
  
  
  
Aftermath  
  
  
  
Caves were not friendly places.  
  
The lovely and deadly Android 18 found that out the hard way as she started her new life as a reformed killing machine. Who was she kidding?! No amount of wishing or hoping would ever make her human again, no matter how hard those Z fighters tried. At the mere mention of her former enemies, the android frowned. It wasn't really the fighters themselves she was angry at.  
  
It was him.  
  
The small, bald-headed one. This was his doing. It had been his wish that had removed the bombs from the bodies of her and her brother. As though it was his right to do such a thing! He should've just minded his own business, but no. That incident on the lookout had only been the end of an entire series of him saving her. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she continued her flight and mission she had started after she had left the lookout and that was search for her brother.  
  
Unfortunately, it was harder than she realized.  
  
Dr. Gero's genius of not having their ki detectable was great against an enemy, but when she needed it most ~ like needing to find 17~ it turned into a complete and utter waste of time. She had been flying around now for a few weeks, circling the area where she had last seen her twin. It had been the fight with Piccolo that she had last seen 17 and that was a good place to start looking for him. But so far, she wasn't having any luck. She had been lucky though, that the weather had been kind at night, the breeze slowly putting her to rest, the night being clear enough for her to find something to eat if she need be.  
  
Most of all, it gave her time to think.  
  
And she was thinking a lot.  
  
About...him.  
  
She continued her search, as the weeks flew into months, she found herself getting bored with her daily routine. Get up, search for 17, rest, search again, settle down for the night, look for food, sleep. Then it was back to the routine the next morning. Get up, search for 17, rest, search again, settle down for the night, look for food, sleep. Up, search, rest, search, bedding, food, sleep. If their was one thing she could remember from her time as a normal human being, Android 18 got restless and bored very quickly, just like her brother. She had searched for him for almost three months, without a trace of where he could be. So she gave up, and spent the next three months thinking.  
  
Thinking a lot.  
  
About...  
  
Him.  
  
Eighteen just didn't understand his motives and certainly her programming found it to be highly irregular. She and her fellow androids had been given one order. Find and kill Goku. If that wasn't met, then they would just destroy the earth. It was as simple as that. But now, things didn't make sense. Why would Gero do what he did? Eighteen didn't know who she was before she was Android 18, but she had obviously been human. How did Gero find her and 17? And why were they picked for this horrible plan? What had they been like before?  
  
The cyborg threw an energy blast towards a cliff, shattering the side and causing a landslide of rock to come cascading down to the ground. If there was one thing she would never regret as long as she lived, it was when she and 17 killed that genetic freak Gero. They didn't know why they had killed him ~ certainly seeing as they never killed anyone after that~ they just knew he deserved to die and it would come by their hands. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself, then cursed herself for even needing to calm down.  
  
After she had her obligatory thoughts on Gero, they would always shift to that human. Why did do everything he could to save her?! He had a perfect opportunity to at least attack while they stood on that highway, at least put up some fight, but no. He had tried to...reason with them, tried to stop them in their destruction. That's when she kissed him. It was to shut him up and to amuse herself, but the way his face changed from pale to beet red had stopped her slightly and had intrigued her. He was a funny little man. And then, if almost to ensure he'd be committed to a mental hospital, the next time she saw him, he stood with a controller that would shut her down. Thus keeping Cell from becoming complete.  
  
And he destroyed it.  
  
It didn't make sense, no sense what so ever. He had his job to do and he basically failed. But why? Why had he done that? She had discovered from a nosy Namek that the human...  
  
Name: Krillin  
  
Age: 30  
  
Residence: Kame House  
  
Information: Strongest human fighter with a level of 4200, friend of Goku  
  
...had...what was the word? Cared for her after she had been released from Cell. He had carried her away from the battle, then up to Kami lookout where he had given her a sensu bean. Then she had seen the group sumon a huge dragon in the sky and after they had wished back all those who had been killed by Cell, this Krillin, had wished for her and her brother to be human. The large dragon told him it couldn't be done. Well duh, she had thought. You can't wish something human which is already in that state. Then he had stunned her again, by wishing the bombs that lie dorment in their systems to be removed, so that they could at least try and live a normal, human existence.  
  
Why?  
  
She had stood there in shock, as did his friends, and listen to him...grant mercy on them, on their enemies, who not so long ago had tried to kill them. She had come out of hiding then, said another goodbye to the short man, and took off. Her first task was to find her brother. If this dragon had really granted the wishes made, then she would've found her brother. But she hadn't and she had looked for months. Her sensors told her there was a malfunction happening, but she shook her head and ignored the machancial part of her. She did something so unique, something she hadn't done since she become an android...  
  
She wondered what she was...feeling.  
  
And she came up with sad. She was saddened that she couldn't find her brother and...worried. Where was he? If the people of the earth had been wished back, then where was 17? Was he hiding, still afraid Cell was out there looking for them? If only she could tap into his ki, if she only had the ability to do so. Coming back to the rational side of her being, Eighteen decided she needed answers. After six months of searching and thinking and living in a cave, she wanted answers to her questions and she wanted them now.  
  
And she knew exactly the person who would answer them.  
  
***  
  
"Yamcha, it would be much easier if you just stood there and let me hit you."  
  
The fight hadn't been a fair one in the hills of the valley. A young, tall dark haired man was getting the crap beaten out of him, by his best friend no less. The three eyed warrior known as Tien Shinhan stood in the middle of grass field, his arms crossed over his chest. His statement had been one in jest, something comical at his friend's poor performance that day. Of course the look Yamcha gave him said volumes that the joke wasn't appreciated and that the cyclops would be getting it.  
  
The former desert bandit and present baseball player came after Tien in a flash, his fist going straight toward the man's face. Tien didn't even have to move as Yamcha came at him, his attacks going wild and most never oming near his body. A quick uppercut landed Yamcha on his back, but he wasn't having any of it. Pounding the dirt, he was back on his feet and back swinging at Tien. A leg sweep again took Yamcha down.  
  
"You're not focused." Tien replied, calmly.  
  
A slap to the ground told Tien his friend was indeed not focused and was probably upset about something. So as Yamcha came charging at him, ready to tackle him, Tien sidestepped it and delivered an elbow to his back. Before Yamcha could get up, Tien was on top of him, his head in a headlock. "Now Yamcha," he stressed. "Unless you want to take an unscheduled nap right here in the middle of this field, I suggest you at calm down. I can tell something is bothering you, so you don't need to say anything if you don't want, but if you hope to get at least some training done, I think you should vary your attacks."  
  
"To what?" Yamcha struggled.  
  
"To something that has some potential of hitting me."  
  
The ball player was close to retorting, when he realized his friend was right. Something had been bothering him ever since the arrival of Trunks and he finally noticed he was trying to take his anger out on the former assassain. Tapping his friend's arm that was currently wrapped around his neck, Yamcha signalled he was done for now. Tien let go, then helped the young man off the ground. Tossing an arm around his shoulders, Tien said, "I think now is a good time for a break."  
  
Yamcha nodded. "Yeah." he grumbled. "Look Tien, I'm sorry. I guess my mind is miles away."  
  
"On baseball?" Tien asked. Getting no response, he pumped further. "On the androids? Trunks?" At the mention of the future boy's name, Tien noticed a small grimace on Yamcha's face. "Ah." he said. "Maybe not the boy, but certainly his parents. Yamcha..."  
  
"Tien, I don't want to talk about it." was Yamcha's answer.  
  
"Then we won't."  
  
Only a beat went by as Yamcha began with, "I just don't get it, Tien. I just don't get it. Vegeta? Of all the people Bulma has to start seeing, it's Vegeta?"  
  
"I don't think she's..."  
  
"I mean, when you think of Bulma, who do you think of as someone who be with her, huh? Huh? It's not Vegeta, is it?"  
  
"Maybe something..."  
  
"You know, I have half a mind to think...you know, you don't want to even know what I think, but it's not good, I'll tell you that."  
  
"Yamcha..."  
  
"That's it!"  
  
"What's it?"  
  
"This is a trick. Vegeta is merely using Bulma to get to us. Oh, I have it all figured out now."  
  
"Yamcha, maybe you're..."  
  
"I mean, think about it." Yamcha was on a roll now. "What better way of getting to Goku?"  
  
"Well," Tien stated. "There is Chi-Chi, then Gohan, immediate family of course and then there's..."  
  
"All right, all right." the young man resigned. "So that idea is out."  
  
"Yamcha," Tien began. "Has it occured to you that perhaps Bulma, and this hurts me as much as it does you, might actually be in love with Vegeta?"  
  
It was several minutes before Yamcha said anything, his face betraying for only a few seconds of hurt and realization. "Tien, that's disgusting." he growled. "And as my best friend, I'd like you not to mention that ever again. Because that...is...is..."  
  
"A possibility." Tien then added, "A rare, but possible outcome." The two were silent for a bit before Tien again spoke. "Yamcha, I'm not sure how I can be any help to you. But you know we're friends, so whenever you feel the need to injure someone, I'm always glad to kick your butt into the ground."  
  
Yamcha smirked at the jibe. "The day you beat me in a fight, Tien Shinhan, hell will freeze over."  
  
"Then it must be extremely cold." Tien countered. "Seeing as I've just beaten you."  
  
"Dude, that doesn't count."  
  
"It's still cold, as I continually beat your ass while in Other World."  
  
"You beat me once and I let you win."  
  
"Oh?" Tien asked, giving his friend a shove. "And did you also let me win at the World Martial Arts Tournament? I mean, it was so nice of you to break your leg to let me win."  
  
The two stared each other down.  
  
"Are you ready to give me a real fight or should I go easy on you again?" Tien again.  
  
Yamcha smiled. "I hope you brought some mode of transporation." he said. "I'd hate for you to limp home."  
  
"Empty threats."  
  
"Then shut me up."  
  
"With pleasure."  
  
Within seconds, the two were battling like old foes.  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

Right. So, here we are again, going with Word cause ff.net is stupid. Whatever. Anyway, sorry for the delay and such, but all is well now. Thank you, thank you for all that review and for DBChick1 who every chapter insists that I update. So, here it is. This is going to be the tide here, for you Krillin/18 fans, as it will focus mostly on them for this chapter and possibly the next two, not sure yet, but for you K/18 fans, here's to you. Enjoy!  
  
Aftermath  
  
It had been six months since Goku's decision to stay in Other World and so far, his friends and family were still coping with his death. On the island where the Kame House resided, one of its residents still found it hard to except. For his part, the former monk known as Krillin began trying to pull together, at least for his best friend's family. He kept his new raven locks, trimmed the scuff on his face to a thin goatee beard, and began to bring himself out of his depression. He had to.  
  
Chi-Chi and Gohan needed him.  
  
With Chi-Chi now pregnant and starting to show, Krillin felt it was his duty as Goku's best friend, not to mention his promise, that he would make sure Chi-Chi and Gohan had everything they needed. So for these last six months, Krillin had been spending the majority of his time at their house, doing odd jobs that needed done, shopping, anything Chi-Chi needed or wanted, Krillin was there for her. He took Gohan fishing, like they used to when Goku was alive, and camping, and anything fun the boy wanted to do.  
  
The one thing the two did, that only the two knew about, was visiting the place where it all ended. The area where the Cell Games had taken place. There was still a large crater from where Cell had been destroyed and it certainly gave a usually serene place an ominous look. Krillin had been surprised when Gohan had suggested it, even more when he said he'd been coming here for nearly a month. Gohan had told his friend that he sometimes needed to come here, when he felt the familiar pull of training and fighting. "It keeps me whole, I guess." He had whispered. "It stops me from becoming something I'm not."  
  
Krillin had understood, by volumes. Standing there and looking at the last place he'd ever see his best friend, that crater had told him something as well. That he would never be strong enough, that he had failed. He had failed his best friend and because of his failures, the boy that stood next to him was fatherless, his mother a widow, and in three months time, their child would never know their father. All because he had fallen in love with the enemy, who just happened to be a machine.  
  
She's not a machine, he thought. She was human once, until that bastard Gero got to her. She was never a machine.  
  
The thought, as it always had, plagued the small fighter. His feelings for the lovely android 18 had clouded his judgment, he was sure of that, to the point that he had let his best friend die. Standing at that crater, he had told Gohan he wouldn't be fighting anymore, more less train, and then came out with his feelings on his father's death. He told him about his ever growing feelings for 18 and that he had plenty of chances to destroy her and didn't.  
  
"Krillin, if anyone is to blame for Dad's death, it's me." Gohan replied, somberly. "You guys told me to finish Cell off and all I could think about was making him pay, pay for everything he had put us through. That was the only thing that kept him alive to pull what he did."  
  
Krillin sighed, saying, "Gohan, maybe it's not anyone's fault." At Gohan's look, he continued. "It doesn't mean we don't feel it."  
  
The crater in the field soon become their spot, whenever things got bad for either one of them, that crater somehow brought comfort to both. And they would soon discover they needed more comfort than they realized.  
  
The one thing that surprised Krillin, or perhaps the one of many things that surprised him, was how well he got along with Chi-Chi. It was no secret that the Saiyan wife and her husband's friends never truly got along with each other, Krillin included. And though he on occasion was first to defend her in their circle, she was his best friend's wife after all, Chi- Chi had always intimidated the small fighter. He agreed to some extent that Chi-Chi was the stick in the mud, the first to always spoil their fun, the first to suggest that Gohan would have no part in whatever scheme, idea, fun filled vacation or activity the Z fighters had planned for the day.  
  
Not her Gohan.  
  
But spending time with her during those six months put a new spin on things for Krillin. He realized no one in the group really knew Chi-Chi all that well. Even though Yamcha, Master Roshi, and Oolong had met her as a child, they didn't really know anything about her, except she was the Ox King's daughter. And vice versa, Chi-Chi knew nothing about them. Oh, she had heard stories from Goku, but every time she saw one of the Z fighters, it was mostly in the way of "We need Goku for this..." or "We need Gohan for that..." It seems they were always coming and taking her family from her.  
  
Krillin finally understood where she was coming from and in turn, discovered that they had been holding things against her. After all, she had taken Goku away from them for nearly four years. When you looked at it, it seemed Goku was in a tug of war he probably didn't know he was in. On one side, his friends whom he'd known forever, who he loved like a family. On the other, his wife and son, who made up his first real family since his grandfather's death. Krillin found it eye opening.  
  
He found himself enjoying the times he spent over with the family, especially with Chi-Chi. He was surprised at this side of Goku he'd never known and he was his best friend! He knew Goku the warrior, Goku the Saiyan, Goku the friend, but he never saw Goku the husband or Goku the father. He liked listening to Chi-Chi talk about things the family had done together or had wanted to do, and in turn Krillin gave her insight into a man she rarely saw.  
  
"He loved you, you know." She had whispered once. "All of you, I mean. When we were first married, he would tell me stories about your adventures and the fun you all had together." She was silent for a moment, then looked at her house guest. "He was fond of you, Krillin." She said. "You, Bulma, Yamcha, Master Roshi...you were family to him."  
  
"Likewise."  
  
"Did he...did he ever...talk about me?"  
  
Krillin looked at this young woman. Someone, like himself, had been through so much before their thirtieth birthday. "Chi-Chi," he began, hoping his words sounded as truthful as they were. "I don't think you'll ever know how much Goku loved you." The widow choked back a sob. Even now, hearing her deceased husband's name, even talking about him was still too hard.  
  
"We were talking about you guys," he continued. "The day before...you know. I just...I just couldn't believe we were so lax, when we'd be fighting the next day." Krillin chuckled. "He said we needed a rest bit, time to unwind..."  
  
"But Goku!" Krillin felt as though the mighty warrior had taken too many blows to the head in his years fighting.  
  
"Kril-lin," the Saiyan laughed, laying happily on the grass. "You worry too much. Come on, have a seat. It's soft and smells good."  
  
"How can you be so calm!?"  
  
"You like you're gonna blow your top. Literally." Goku laughed at the face Krillin gave him. "Look, I'm amped for the Cell Games tomorrow, really. And believe me, I'm not taking this lightly. I know what's at stake and for that reason, I'm taking it easy."  
  
"I don't know." Krillin sighed, taking a seat next to his friend. "I don't know how you can be so calm about this."  
  
"I'm not."  
  
Goku grinned upon seeing his friend's shocked face. "All I know is, I want this day to be great. I want to be able to spend time with my friends and my family."  
  
"A day isn't long enough to do what I think you're thinking of doing."  
  
Again, Goku smiled. "You can do anything you want in a day." He said. "My grandpa told me that what you make of a day is worth more than anything you do in a month or a year or a century even. A day can make a difference. Just one day."  
  
Krillin chuckled. "I didn't understand what he meant until he was gone."  
  
"He was so attentive." Chi-Chi sighed. "I only just realized why." She wiped her eyes. "I miss him so much." She sobbed.  
  
"Me too."  
  
Those six months had been helpful for Krillin, as he thought Chi-Chi enjoyed their time as well. Something the small warrior noticed was how often he saw Yamcha at the house, usually when he and Gohan would return from one of their trips. "Hey man, I'm more than happy to spend time with you guys, if you and Gohan were ever there." Yamcha had joked. "But hey, it just gives me more time with Chi-Chi."  
  
Now, Krillin had always been good with his senses. Most times, he could just sense danger and right then, he sensed something he couldn't put his finger on.  
  
That was until Chi-Chi's birthday rolled around.  
  
The day started as it always had with Krillin. He woke up before dawn and watched the sun come up over the horizon, made breakfast for himself and his roommates, made a picnic lunch for later, then headed out toward Chi- Chi and Gohan's. He stopped by a florist and bought a dozen roses before heading back. Landing a few feet from the house, he checked himself, making sure he had the basket of food, the flowers, and that he himself look all right.  
  
He then made his move towards the front door...  
  
...and slowed to a crawl when he saw an air car land not far from the house. And it wasn't just any car.  
  
It was Yamcha's.  
  
The ball player checked himself in the rearview mirror, before hopping out and straightening his suit. He picked up the rose he had in the passenger seat and headed towards the front door...  
  
...and was surprised to see Krillin.  
  
"Hey buddy," he greeted, walking over to where Krillin stood. "What're you doing here?"  
  
"I always come Chi-Chi and Gohan." He replied. "What're you doing here?"  
  
"Dude, you're not the only one who likes to see Chi-Chi."  
  
Before Krillin could respond, Yamcha had knocked on the door and waited for someone to open it. It took only a few minutes for the door to open and for Chi-Chi to stand before them. "Hi guys." She said, smiling. The widow had woken up in good spirits that day, which surprised even her.  
  
"Happy Birthday, Chi." Yamcha said, handing her the single rose.  
  
"Happy, happy birthday, Chi-Chi." Krillin replied, handing her the dozen roses.  
  
"Oh my!" she gushed. "More flowers!"  
  
"More flowers?" The two men asked in disbelief.  
  
As Chi-Chi moved from the door, the two looked in and were awe-strucked. Everywhere they looked, they saw flowers of every shape and size, sitting in vases near the couch, the living room table, the kitchen table...everywhere.  
  
"Where did you get all these flowers?" Yamcha asked, weakly.  
  
"Hey guys." Came a happy laugh. "What're you doing here?"  
  
The two warriors looked up and saw the birthday girl's son, his hair askew, but his clothing was nice, neat, and pressed. He had his father's grin plastered on his face. "Gohan get up extremely early and picked them for me." Chi-Chi said over her shoulder, sending an equally happy smile towards her son.  
  
"Wow." Krillin murmured. He then cleared his throat, and said, "I was hoping to take you guys on a picnic." He held up the basket for emphasis.  
  
"Oh gosh, Krillin," Chi-Chi replied, turning to face him. "I don't know if I have any room. Gohan made me breakfast in bed this morning."  
  
At that moment, there seemed to be some slight tension, as Gohan sent a smirk towards his friends. Even Krillin couldn't figure out what was going on, but he was immediately annoyed by this turn of events. He had out done Yamcha, just to be bested by Gohan. "You know, we could put the food in the refrigerator until later." Chi-Chi spoke up.  
  
"Not too much later, I hope." Yamcha interjected. "I was hoping to take you to dinner."  
  
Chi-Chi giggled. "You know, ever since I found out I was pregnant, I seem to be getting a lot more attention."  
  
"You are an attractive woman..." Krillin blurted, before turning red.  
  
"Krillin, you're blushing." Yamcha stated, though there was no amusement in his voice.  
  
"I think it's adorable, Kril." Chi-Chi replied, taking the picnic basket from him, and heading toward the fridge. "And I'm happy to go with you guys today. Yamcha, you want to join us for lunch?"  
  
Two people in the room hoped he would say no. "I can't actually." He said, delighting two minds in the process. "I have practice. I just wanted to come and celebrate your birthday, but we're on for dinner, right?"  
  
"7:30 okay?" she asked. Yamcha nodded. "See ya then."  
  
"Until then." He said, giving her his best smile. "Gohan. Krillin." He nodded to both before walking out to his car.  
  
As odd as the encounter was, the feeling the three got that the others were encroaching in their territory continued for the rest of the year.  
  
***  
  
Android 18 had flown past the island of the Kame House for two weeks before she decided that it was time to make her presence known. She had hung out in the air, just watching the daily routine of the inhabitants. She learned their routines, which she found to be utterly boring, though she did wonder why the little one left all the time. She found him interesting. When she had first started coming, she was surprised in seeing him. He looked so different with hair...and the facial hair! It was like he was a completely different person from the one she had fought.  
  
For those two weeks, she found herself following his activities more and more. Well, when he was on the island. And when he was there, he didn't really do anything. He'd come out and sit on the beach, watching the sun go down. Or he would sit and talk with a large turtle for a bit. On the occasion when she felt relaxed enough to let her presence be known, she thought she had seen him look toward her. The first time it was a look of confusion, but then he began smiling whenever he thought he found her.  
  
She often wondered what he was thinking, letting his guard down like that. She noticed he didn't train, or at least didn't train on the island. Was he leaving to train, in order to beat her and her brother when they least expect it? Was that why he did what he did? Wished them human in order to decrease their strength? To finally best the famous androids? Well, if that's what he had planned, he was wrong.  
  
Dead wrong.  
  
Krillin sat on the beach, watching the sun go down. It felt nice to just sit and look at the wonders of nature, something he had learned from his days at the temple, were the most precious things on earth. It was also time for him to think about things and his life. Lately his time at Chi- Chi's had brought a painful fact to light. While Chi-Chi and Gohan mourned the loss of Goku, they had least had someone to mourn. Chi-Chi made it very clear, crying over a man she had loved since childhood.  
  
Krillin didn't have anyone like that. Oh, there was Maron, if he truly wanted to count her. He didn't really think she would be as devoted as Chi- Chi, hell she wasn't even devoted to him as they dated. After her, he didn't really feel like looking for anyone. Until...her. Android 18. The beautiful blonde who had been haunting his dreams since they first met on that highway. His time at Chi-Chi's only made that apparently clear, especially when he felt as though he was in a three way war for her affections.  
  
The small warrior shook his head. He was not crushing on Chi-Chi. Especially when 1. she was his best friend's wife and 2. he was crushing on Android 18. Again, the raven hair on top of his head shook with his head. He had been fine for a while, until he thought he saw her in the middle of last week. He was convinced he was losing his sight or worse, his mind. Then he saw her again and then once more, then two more times. She was just hovering in the air, a little spot in the sky, but she let her guard down enough he could make out her blonde hair.  
  
After that, he just knew she was there and more than once hoped she'd come down and talk to him.  
  
And when she did, he had a lot of explaining to do. 


	6. Chapter 6

**FF.net is still being dumb about the whole italics, html, blah blah thing. I still can't believe they didn't respond to my email. How rude! Anywa, because it's been waaaay too long since I updated, I got some good good news. First and foremost, for you K18 fans, this chapter is for you! Secondly, not only am I giving you this chapter, but chapter seven will come later today! Cool, yeah? As always, thanks to my budding DBZ reviewers. Thank you! I'm glad you guys are enjoying it! Now on to...  
**

****

****

**Aftermath  
**

He wasn't sure what he was feeling when she finally touched down on the sand beside him. It was a mixture of confusion, happiness, and fearfulness he had never experienced before. Why had she waited so long before coming to see him? Was she truly there to _see_ him? He wished he could tell what she was feeling and thinking.  
  
She watched as his face registered emotion and several at that. He looked surprised and somewhat happy to see her. Why? That was the question of the evening. He smiled at her, then frowned slightly when she didn't return it. Clearing his throat, he began to speak.  
  
"Hey." He said, the smile once again on his face. "How've you been? I haven't seen you in..."  
  
"Cut the chit chat." She said curtly. "I'll be talking and asking the questions from now on." He gulped. There was that fear again. "Why?"  
  
"I'm sorry?"  
  
"Why?" she asked again, taking a step closer towards him. "Why did you destroy that controller? Why did you save me from Cell? And worse of all, why the hell did you use that wish on me?"  
  
Krillin momentarily lost the ability to speak. _He_ knew the reasons he had done those things. Ever since she had kissed him on that highway, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it or her. He had done it out of care, out of...love. But he had never tried to put it into words before. And he certainly couldn't tell the object of his affection the complete reasons.  
  
"I...I..." he stuttered. He scratched the back of his head. He finally settled on, "I just think you deserve a second chance."  
  
Eighteen looked at him with suspicion. Her thoughts wandered back to the lookout, where the boy Goku's son had stated that this little man had a crush on her. Her eyes narrowed. "I remember," she seethed. "You have feelings for me. That's why you did what you did. Well, I can tell you right now that your sympathy isn't wanted or needed."  
  
Well, that had hurt.  
  
Krillin sighed. "I admit that I care about you," he whispered. "But everything I did, I only did because of that. I'm not expecting anything from you. I just wanted you and your brother to be happy. That's all."  
  
She continued to glare at him, trying to see if he was lying in anyway. Her cybernetic mind studied his face, his stance, everything to decide if he was just stringing her along. She couldn't find anything. _Or he's very good at hiding his emotions_, she thought. Her features softened, just enough to show she believed him, for now, but she was still suspicious.  
  
He could see she was still suspicious of him, which brought his earlier happy mood down by four notches. "So," he asked, timidly. "How've you been?"  
  
"Fine." She answered, coldly.  
  
"Like I said, I haven't seen you in a while."  
  
"Six months and four days, to be exact."  
  
"Where've you been?" he asked. "What've you been doing?"  
  
"Aren't you full of questions?" she smirked.  
  
Krillin chuckled. "I was worried, that's all."  
  
Again, the look of suspicion crossed her face. "I've been looking for my brother." She said bluntly.  
  
He was surprised to hear that. "You haven't found him yet?" It just came out and he cringed at the face she gave him.  
  
"No I haven't." she said. "Unless of course you and your friends are holding him somewhere. Or you found him first."  
  
"No!" he exclaimed, startling both of them. "We would never do that!" She gave him a look that clearly said she didn't believe him. "Okay, Vegeta maybe," he murmured. "But he didn't! Honest, we haven't seen Seventeen since...well...you know and I swear to you, I'd tell you if we did."  
  
Eighteen again narrowed her eyes at him, but just for a brief second.  
  
_Still suspicious_, he sighed. "Do you have somewhere to go?"  
  
"I've been living in the woods."  
  
"That's no place to live," he chuckled. She just shrugged.  
  
That's when it hit him. It hit so hard, it felt like a sledgehammer, or like one of Goku's punches. At first, his mind was ecstatic by the thought, but then a sinking fear came to play. Was this really a good idea? She had more or less told him to drop dead and she wanted nothing to do with him and here he was suggesting, actually considering...  
  
"Um..." he began, nervously. "Listen, if...if you'd like, you can...you can stay with me."  
  
"Excuse me?" Again, the narrowing of the eyes.  
  
"I mean, at the Kame House!" he added, quickly. "That is...if...if...you don't mind staying with us. Or rather with a bunch of males and you're so not...male..." His ship was sinking and sinking fast.  
  
She raised a blonde eyebrow. He was strange, standing there babbling and...turning redder than a tomato. She found it...interesting and rather...adorable. What? Her mind immediately said that was illogical. Adorable was something associated with human emotions, something she had none of. She was a machine, an android, something to be feared.  
  
She was also without a home and without her brother or any friends. Ironically, it made sense to stay with this human and his roommates. Not only would she get free room and board, but she could also find out whether or not he was truly telling the truth about Seventeen. She also wanted to see what these "Z fighters" had up their sleeves. Regarding him once more, she said, "All right."  
  
Krillin wasn't sure what he heard, but it certainly wasn't what he expected. "What?"  
  
Eighteen sighed. "I said, all right." She replied. "I'll stay with you, at least until I find out what happened to Seventeen."  
  
"That's fine." He nodded. "If...if you want...I could...I could help you look for him."  
  
"I don't need your help." She said. Krillin gulped. "Are you going to show me to the house or just stand there like an idiot?"  
  
"Follow me." He choked out.

* * *

"You did WHAT!?"  
  
Eighteen had been examining the room Krillin had shown her when she heard the exclamation. She was slightly impressed by the room, apparently it had housed other young women in the past. Krillin had told her the scientist Bulma Briefs, head of the Capsule Corporation had stayed there for a bit, before that it had been the room of someone named Launch. She was curious as to who this Launch person was and why Bulma had been staying there, but before she could ask, she had promptly turned and shut the door in the little man's face.  
  
She had been here for about fifteen minutes and already she felt as though she might be malfunctioning. She couldn't possibly want to care or need to care about who stayed where and why, but when she heard the cry from downstairs, she was curious as to what was going on. Opening the door slowly, she crept downstairs until she saw two more figures standing with Krillin.  
  
As soon as Krillin had finished giving Eighteen a tour of her room and where she could find things upstairs, Master Roshi and Oolong came home, from where he didn't want to know. He let out a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding. He was slightly worried about how this would go, after all, this wasn't his house. It was Master Roshi's and for him to go and just invite someone to live with them was just plain rude, as he saw it. Once again, his feelings for the lovely android would probably land him in trouble.  
  
And that's exactly what happened. As soon as Krillin said he had a guest who was going to be staying with them, the two perverts jumped all over it. It only got worse when he mentioned it was a girl, oh but best to come is when he said _who_ it was that was staying. It had been quiet for only a minute when Oolong had exclaimed, "You did WHAT?!" And that's how it started. At the moment, Roshi was doing his hardest to keep Krillin from doing more harm to Oolong than necessary.  
  
Oolong had flipped, that was the best way to describe it. As soon as he found out that Krillin had invited one of the killer androids into the house, more less invite her to stay, was crazy! And he told the former monk such. The shape-shifting pig continued to rant on about how Krillin had been hit one too many times and had completely lost it. He went on to say he had only done it to get her into the house and into her pants.  
  
That tore it.  
  
Before Oolong knew what was happening, his bacon went flying into a wall. That's when Roshi had grabbed his former student. Krillin had never been so angry in his life. It was one thing if he was the one being insulted, he was used to it, that was one of the things he had learned as a member of the Orinji. But you never, ever insulted someone the former monk cared about and he definitely cared about their new house guest.  
  
"That's not the reason she's here!" he exclaimed, anger by the implications. "And I certainly didn't invite her to stay to try and have sex with her! It's not like that."  
  
"Krillin!" Roshi called, trying to bring order back to their surroundings. "Calm yourself!" Once he felt his house mate's ki stabilize, he released him. "Now, if I remember correctly, this was _my_ house and therefore, I'm the one who decides who stays here and who doesn't." The monk and pig glared at each other, seemingly knowing what was going to happen.  
  
"Therefore, I say that Krillin's lady friend gets to stay."  
  
"What!?" shouted Oolong. "Old man, have you lost your mind?"  
  
"She stays and that's final, Oolong." Roshi stated, his tone firm, leaving no room for argument. "Krillin, why don't you let off some steam?" He patted the young man on the back.  
  
"Yes, Master." He whispered, heading towards the door. He glared one last time at the frightened oinker before leaving in a huff.  
  
"Well, apparently I'm the only sane one in the house." Oolong muttered sarcastically, making his way over to the old sensei.  
  
"Oolong," he began. "I meant what I said. Krillin feels that she should stay and that's what she's going to do. Besides, I wouldn't think you'd mind having another pretty girl in the house."  
  
"A pretty, killing machine is more like it."  
  
"That's enough, Oolong." He said, sternly. "Another thing. You, or I for that matter, are not to go anywhere near this new house mate. I think viewing her in her...eh eh, natural state, isn't in our best interest, if you get my meaning."  
  
"Oh, I get your meaning all right." The pig huffed. "I have half a mind to go over and stay at Yamcha's."  
  
"That's your choice then."  
  
Oolong growled, as he stomped off to his room. The old man stayed in his spot, searching out for his former student. He knew immediately as the small man walked out the door, he wouldn't stay on the island. As teens, he and Goku knew the punishment for destroying some part of the island during their random outbursts and had learned to at least hold in their anger or frustration until they reached some place far away from their home.  
  
He also sensed another presence. Well, not sensed as in their energy signal, for this being didn't have one, but he knew when someone was listening in on a conversation. He turned towards the stairs and smiled. There was no one there, well that he could see. He turned back around towards the living couch, sank into the comfy folds, and turned on the television.  
  
Eighteen crept back upstairs to her lodgings and closed the door. Her mind was registering confusion. The little man she understood. Well, she thought she understood him. He had defended her against his housemate. Well, of course he would defend her. He had a crush on her, after all. But that old man had defended her as well. _It's probably some trick thought up by the midget,_ she thought bitterly. _He probably told the old man to defend me._ But the more she thought of it, the more she didn't believe that was the reason. In fact, she had to admit she was slightly flattered Krillin had defended her.  
  
She shook her head. Flattery was a human emotion and something she didn't need or want and certainly not from one of those ridiculous Z fighters.  
  
The day she relied on anyone other than herself, was the day hell froze over.

* * *

So far, the first month at Kame House had been...obnoxious. First, the old man that had defended her just kept being lecherous towards her, even though he told the pig not to be. She supposed it really wasn't that bad, as Krillin had tried to tell her. The pig, who she had nicknamed 'pork chop', was always extremely nervous around her and had even yelped once or twice when she had looked at him. She had enjoyed that, putting fear into people. Even though she wasn't the destroying machine her brother was, she still liked causing people to freak.  
  
Which brought her to the biggest problem of all.  
  
Krillin.  
  
He didn't scare as easy as Pork chop did, in fact, the more she tried to scare him, the more he tried to get her to open up to him. It was odd and annoying. She couldn't understand why he insisted on asking her how she was every morning or what she felt like doing. It wasn't logical for him to feel the way he did and it certainly wasn't logical for her to start reciprocating. Even that first month, he was starting to break a barrier that had been long standing and that was something she couldn't let happen.  
  
If living together was starting to get to Android 18, it was maddening for Krillin. It was one thing when she was far away from him, but being in such close proximity only caused his thoughts to go to her constantly. Seeing her day in and day out was driving him crazy and worst of all, she didn't want anything to do with him.  
  
He suggested they go to lunch.  
  
She said no.  
  
He thought it would be great to take in a movie.  
  
She said no.  
  
How about a picnic?  
  
No.  
  
A walk?  
  
No.  
  
No matter what he suggested, she turned it down. He was beginning to falter. What did he really think he was doing? Did he really think a girl like that would fall for someone like him? Of course not and yet, he was still trying. He never had to try so hard with Maron. Hell, what was there to try? She thought he was cute and actually liked him, or he thought she did. It was always hard to tell when she'd leave him for some other guy. _Maybe that's the only kind of girl I can get_, he thought to himself. He always figured there was _someone_ out for him. Look at Vegeta! If Vegeta could find someone, surely Krillin could.  
  
But Vegeta was the bad boy type, the type the girls always went for.  
  
Goku was a good guy.  
  
Completely naïve and yet even_ he_ had settled down and had a family.  
  
He shook his head. This was getting him no where.  
  
As a month turned into two, the atmosphere at Kame House was rather tense. Eighteen tried keeping to herself, which was fine with Oolong, but not with Krillin, who tried his best to get her to join in their activities and conversations. That only made Eighteen more hostile to Krillin, who only took it harder than he should've. Master Roshi felt he was in a twisted sitcom. Dinner was always quiet, Krillin had stopped trying to make small talk with Eighteen by then. Finally, Roshi was fed up.  
  
"You haven't trained in many months, Krillin." He mentioned over dinner one night.  
  
Krillin looked at him confusion. Hadn't they discussed this already? "Master, you know I stopped training months ago." He said.  
  
"You should always keep your defenses up." Eighteen replied, the first time she had said an entire sentence at the table. "You never know when trouble could pop up."  
  
"Said the spider to the fly." Mumbled Oolong.  
  
"I know," Roshi rambled on, shrugging his shoulders. "But it's great exercise and it keeps you focused. Surely you remember that from all your teachings."  
  
Though Krillin couldn't see it, Roshi was looking straight at him with a knowing glance. Krillin sighed. What would training do? "I really don't want to train anymore, Master Roshi." He mumbled. "What's the point?"  
  
"You have to do your litter hero thing, right?" Eighteen asked, sarcastically. "Saving the earth before bedtime, yeah?"  
  
"That's what we have Gohan for."  
  
"He could die, you know." Eighteen continued. "Just like his father."  
  
"Leave Goku out of this." It was a growl and the look that went with it greatly surprised Eighteen. She had hit a definite sore spot, but this time, she didn't want to continue it. Even more surprising was the thought that she had hurt Krillin and probably needed to apologize.  
  
What?  
  
"She didn't mean anything by it, Krillin." Roshi came to the defense. "But she is right. We can't solely rely on Gohan, especially when I'm sure he wants to train as much as you do."  
  
The conversation ended right there and the quartet finished their meal in silence. Roshi and Oolong went to the TV and began their night of...viewing, leaving Krillin and Eighteen alone. Well, it left Eighteen alone at least. Krillin had all but clamed up.  
  
"You should never stop training." She continued.  
  
"Why?" the former monk asked, sarcastically. "So I can become a killing machine like you."  
  
The moment it left his mouth, he regretted it. His head went up, a look of shock and sorrow on his face. And maybe a bit a fear. He hadn't meant to say what he did, he was a little upset about she had said about Gohan and Goku. He half expected her to blast him into the wall.  
  
"I didn't meant that." He said, quickly. "I swear, Eighteen, I..."  
  
"Quit your blubbering." She snapped. "It's not like I have feelings."  
  
"But you're human." He insisted. "Of course you have feelings."  
  
"No I don't." she exclaimed, standing. "I'm a machine. A deadly killing machine! You said so yourself."  
  
"I didn't mean that!"  
  
Krilin's apology went unheard as Eighteen stormed upstairs, leaving a heavy hearted monk staring up at her from the bottom pf the stairs. "I'm glad someone in this house knows where they stand." Oolong chuckled.  
  
A gleam of light and sparks caused the pig to squeal, while Master Roshi just sat and frowned. "Krillin..."  
  
"I will buy a new television set, Master." 

**That's it for this chapter. Again, so sorry for the delay. I have started the next chap and hope to have that either up tonight or tomorrow**


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